June 19, 2022
Brandy, a recent Kairos graduate, talks about how she trusted the Kairos design of integrating life and study after deciding to become a living kidney donor by reflecting on her experiences and expanding her theological understanding through an integrative study project.
Here’s her story.
As I was nearing the completion of my Kairos journey, I mapped out my remaining coursework with my mentor team. I felt comfortable with the plan, and I looked forward to my anticipated graduation day. Then life interrupted me.
The interruption came in the unexpected and inconvenient form of kidney donation. Through a series of conversations, prompts by the Holy Spirit, and matching blood tests, I discerned God’s invitation to become a living kidney donor. It threw a curveball into my emotions and my Kairos plans. While I was determined to stay the course, my faculty mentor wisely suggested another way. She said that it was hard not to pay attention to the way God was moving in my life through the process of kidney donation and proposed I completed one of my remaining outcomes through an integrative study – considering the Biblical, theological, and ethical considerations for organ donation.
Admittedly, at first, I resisted the idea. The donation journey felt overwhelming, and I desired the predictability of my outstanding coursework. But something shifted as I sat with her proposal in prayer. Wasn’t the whole design of Kairos, to allow you to pay attention to where God is at work in your life and integrate your education into the process? It finally clicked, and I decided to trust the Kairos design. I altered my coursework map and committed to the integrative study.
Becoming a living kidney donor was an emotional journey – one I kept very private. It wasn’t until I dove into the study and began to expand and deepen my theological foundation for donation that I became more secure in my donation decision and comfortable sharing the testimony. I reflected on who made the inner parts of my body, including two healthy kidneys, considered the good works God prepared in advance for me to do, and what it meant to truly love my neighbor. I was invited to commune with Jesus in the garden as he wrestled God’s will against his own, as I found myself doing the same. In the end, the integrative study allowed me to process the journey as I was living it and completing my program.
I once saw a quote by Paula D’Arcy that I think sums up the heart of Kairos and my experience with the program perfectly, “God comes to you disguised as your life.” The beauty of Kairos is that it allows you the flexibility to pause, lean in, and learn. It turns out the “interruption” was the learning, life, and ministry. You can read more about my journey here.